The History of Lawnmowers
Until the 1830s, careful scything and sheep-grazing produced the only kind of lawn available. Lawnmowers transformed the very concept of lawn, just in time for the rise of popular outdoor sports and the suburban garden.
Budding & Ferrabee
The lawnmower was invented in England in 1827, by Edwin Beard Budding, a textile worker from Stroud in Gloucestershire. It was a classic case of adapting existing technology to another, previously unconsidered use. He saw how a set of rotating blades mounted on a cylinder was used in the textile industry to trim the nap of velvet. Velvet, he thought, is not unlike grass, which up to then could be kept trim only by scything, or by putting grazing animals onto it. Budding came up with the first lawnmower design, with cylinder blades attached by gears to a heavy roller at the back - a design that looked very much like a classic petrol-driven cylinder mower, but of course without an engine. However, this first machine was hefty, and designed to be operated by two men, one pushing the other pulling. Having lodged his patent in 1830, Budding went into partnership with the local owner of an engineering company called John Ferrabee, producing machines under the name Budding & Ferrabee.
From horse power to steam power
Soon, other engineering companies were manufacturing lawnmowers, sometimes under licence from Budding & Ferrabee, to meet the rapidly growing demand that went with the growing aesthetic appreciation for the look of machine-trimmed lawn. One of the early leaders in the field was Ransome's, of Ipswich, manufacturers of agricultural machines who produced their first lawnmower in 1832. These early lawnmowers were made of cast iron, and very heavy, and they became even heavier. By the 1840s, large machines were being used to trim the lawns of stately homes and sports grounds, drawn by horses or donkeys wearing leather shoes over their hooves to prevent them damaging the turf. In the 1890s, steam power has harnessed to drive lawnmowers weighing over two tons. In contrast, however, by the 1850s lightweight push-mowers had also become available, thanks to the invention of sidewheels with a gear and ratchet system inside that sent the cutting cylinder spinning rapidly with a gentle push on the handle. These were ideal for small gardens. By this time, mowing machines were also being fitted with collection boxes for the grass clippings.
Suburban dreams
During the second half of the 19th century, the railways created the sprawling middle-class suburbs that radiated out from the cities of Britain. Part of the dream of suburban life was a garden with tranquil patch of lawn. The age of inexpensive mowing machines put this dream within reach of the masses. Lawnmowers also contributed to the rapid rise of outdoor sports in the late 19th century, such as soccer, rugby, cricket and golf. Lawn tennis, croquet and bowls would be unimaginable without the ability to create high-quality lawns.
Petrol and electric
The real breakthrough in motorised lawnmowers came with the arrival of the petrol engine: in 1902 Ransome's introduced the first commercially successful motor mower. Another surge in suburban building in the 1920s coincided with the introduction of the mass-produced cylinder mowers made by Atco. The first electric mowers were introduced in 1926. The aircraft industry demanded new, powerful, lightweight engines, and miniature forms of these were used to drive the blades of rotary mowers, first introduced in the 1930s. However, rotary mowers and electric mowers did not really catch on until after the Second World War. The hovercraft, invented in 1955, inspired the hover mower, introduced by Flymo in 1964, a product also of the age of cheap, resilient, lightweight plastics.